Senate Race Results Across Six States in Primary Elections

Six states held primary elections on June 2, 2026, with Senate races in Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota shaping battleground contests critical to 2026 control.

Objective Facts

Six states—California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota—held elections on June 2, 2026. Turek had 62.6% of the vote, compared to 37.4% for Wahls, with more than 98% of the expected votes counted. The battle between Turek and Wahls was emblematic of a larger struggle within the Democratic Party between its more moderate and progressive wings, and became a referendum on Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Alme's perch atop the GOP field came after a last-minute ballot switch with retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines, who recruited Alme for his seat and worked to bring President Donald Trump and top Montana Republicans on board, with Alme filing to run for the Senate in March and Daines withdrawing his own candidacy just a few minutes before the state's filing period closed. Feenstra becomes the first statewide Trump endorsee to lose a primary in 2026. Regional media coverage of these Senate races has not been significantly different from Western outlets, as these are U.S. domestic contests without international dimensions.

Left-Leaning Perspective

Senate Minority Leader Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who chairs the DSCC, said Turek's nomination "puts the Iowa Senate seat firmly in play" and that Turek is "a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who has represented his country on the world stage and has built a reputation in the legislature for working across the aisle to get things done for Iowans". The Democratic super PAC VoteVets spent about $10 million to help state Rep. Josh Turek in the primary. While it may still be an uphill climb in a state where the Democratic Party has atrophied and Trump easily carried three times, several Republican strategists, donors and party leaders told CNN they are more concerned about their Iowa prospects than they have been in years, with "Democrats may have a tarnished brand, but Republicans could pay the price for the economy and what looks like another farm crisis on the horizon," a longtime Republican official told CNN. Turek racked up a number of endorsements from moderates, like Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, along with some progressive lawmakers like Rep. Ro Khanna of California. Turek has run on his record of working across the aisle and has touted representing the most conservative district in Iowa to send a Democrat to the state legislature, and he continuously framed the contest as boiling down to electability in the red-leaning state. Democrats hope Trump's tariffs could make the farm-heavy state more competitive than usual. Left-leaning coverage emphasized Schumer's support for Turek and the opportunity tariff-induced farm distress presents, downplaying concerns about Iowa's structural Republican lean and instead focusing on the "farm crisis" narrative and historical moments when Iowa voters rejected Republican incumbents.

Right-Leaning Perspective

Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann previewed the general election as "the battle for Iowa values" while picking up Wahls' baton and tying Turek tightly to Schumer, telling the crowd "You all know exactly who Josh Turek is going to get his orders from. It's going to be Chuck Schumer. It's going to be the left. It's going to be California. It's going to New York." The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) said "Chuck Schumer spent $10 million dollars to coronate Josh Turek as his rubber stamp for Democrats' radical tax-and-spend agenda. In November, Iowans will reject him and elect Ashley Hinson to keep fighting for Iowa families, farmers, and workers". House Minority Whip Steve Scalise called Hinson "President Trump found a steady ally unafraid of the lunatics on the left, and unwilling to be deterred from doing what's right" and that "Ashley's strength powered our success in the House and will be instrumental to Senate Republicans' collective mission to secure America's future," with Hinson working to earn Trump's endorsement as she faced other Republican candidates. Hinson gained the backing of President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Republicans in Washington — as well as getting support from Iowa GOP leaders including Ernst. Right-leaning coverage and GOP operatives focused on linking Turek to Schumer and depicting him as out of step with Iowa values, while celebrating Hinson's Trump endorsement and unified Republican support. The narrative emphasized Turek's out-of-state funding and leadership ties rather than engaging substantively with policy differences.

Deep Dive

The June 2, 2026 Senate primary results across six states revealed a dynamic midterm landscape where Democrats are competing in traditionally Republican terrain while struggling internally over candidate selection. In Iowa, Democratic voters picked state Rep. Josh Turek as their candidate in a key Senate race where in order to win a majority in the Senate, Democrats must pick up four seats, forcing the party to win in Republican-leaning states like Iowa. The battle between Turek and Wahls was emblematic of a larger struggle within the Democratic Party between its more moderate and progressive wings. Iowa has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008, making the party's investment in this race reflect either genuine opportunity or strategic desperation. Democrats hope Trump's tariffs could make the farm-heavy state more competitive than usual, but Turek now has the difficult task of winning in a state that President Donald Trump took by 13 percentage points in 2024 and where there are nearly 200,000 more registered Republican voters than Democrats. Montana's race exposed tension over democratic norms versus partisan advantage. Retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines recruited Kurt Alme for his seat and worked to bring President Donald Trump and top Montana Republicans on board, with Alme filing to run for the Senate in March and Daines withdrawing his own candidacy just a few minutes before the state's filing period closed, a move designed to block a well-known Democrat from seeing an opening to run against a non-incumbent. Republicans argue this preserved the seat in a favorable electoral environment, while critics note it circumvented normal primary competition. Trump quickly endorsed Alme, saying he did so "based on Steve's strongest recommendation". Separately, Trump-backed candidate Rep. Randy Feenstra lost the Republican primary for Iowa governor to businessman Zach Lahn, marking the first statewide Trump endorsee to lose a primary in 2026, suggesting limits to his endorsement power outside Senate races. What to watch: The Iowa general election will test whether economic grievance—particularly tariff effects on farmers—can overcome structural Republican advantages. Montana's race features an unusual three-way dynamic with Bankhead pledging to stay in the race and not clear the path for Bodnar to take on Alme in a head-to-head contest, saying "Not only no, but hell no". Democrats need a net gain of four seats in order to win control of the Senate in 2026, meaning the party has to defend every seat it currently holds, and flip four more on highly competitive and even outright Republican terrain.

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Senate Race Results Across Six States in Primary Elections

Six states held primary elections on June 2, 2026, with Senate races in Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota shaping battleground contests critical to 2026 control.

Jun 3, 2026· Updated Jun 4, 2026
What's Going On

Six states—California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota—held elections on June 2, 2026. Turek had 62.6% of the vote, compared to 37.4% for Wahls, with more than 98% of the expected votes counted. The battle between Turek and Wahls was emblematic of a larger struggle within the Democratic Party between its more moderate and progressive wings, and became a referendum on Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Alme's perch atop the GOP field came after a last-minute ballot switch with retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines, who recruited Alme for his seat and worked to bring President Donald Trump and top Montana Republicans on board, with Alme filing to run for the Senate in March and Daines withdrawing his own candidacy just a few minutes before the state's filing period closed. Feenstra becomes the first statewide Trump endorsee to lose a primary in 2026. Regional media coverage of these Senate races has not been significantly different from Western outlets, as these are U.S. domestic contests without international dimensions.

Left says: Democrats hope Trump's tariffs could make the farm-heavy Iowa state more competitive than usual. The results in Iowa's Democratic primary are a big win for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as there were Democrats who were very nervous that the insurgent candidate, Zach Wahls, would break through and win this race.
Right says: Rep. Ashley Hinson on Tuesday won the Republican Senate nomination in Iowa in the 2026 race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. The Iowa Senate race has not been considered a top-tier race, but the Democratic primary drew lots of attention, with State Sen. Zach Wahls trying to make the race a referendum on Chuck Schumer, the oft-maligned Senate minority leader whom some Democrats are running against, but however much Democratic base voters might not love Schumer, it didn't work as Turek sailed to a painless victory.
✓ Common Ground
Both left and right acknowledged the Iowa Democratic primary was emblematic of a larger struggle within the Democratic Party between its more moderate and progressive wings.
Following Turek's victory, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter shifted its rating of the battle for the Senate seat in Iowa from "likely" Republican to "lean" Republican, signaling some shared recognition across the political spectrum that the race moved toward competitiveness.
Democrats across the spectrum and Republicans acknowledged that Iowa is crucial for Democrats' push to retake the Senate, where they must flip four states that Trump won, such as Iowa, Texas, North Carolina, and Maine, while also successfully defending seats currently held by Democrats.
Objective Deep Dive

The June 2, 2026 Senate primary results across six states revealed a dynamic midterm landscape where Democrats are competing in traditionally Republican terrain while struggling internally over candidate selection. In Iowa, Democratic voters picked state Rep. Josh Turek as their candidate in a key Senate race where in order to win a majority in the Senate, Democrats must pick up four seats, forcing the party to win in Republican-leaning states like Iowa. The battle between Turek and Wahls was emblematic of a larger struggle within the Democratic Party between its more moderate and progressive wings. Iowa has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008, making the party's investment in this race reflect either genuine opportunity or strategic desperation. Democrats hope Trump's tariffs could make the farm-heavy state more competitive than usual, but Turek now has the difficult task of winning in a state that President Donald Trump took by 13 percentage points in 2024 and where there are nearly 200,000 more registered Republican voters than Democrats.

Montana's race exposed tension over democratic norms versus partisan advantage. Retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines recruited Kurt Alme for his seat and worked to bring President Donald Trump and top Montana Republicans on board, with Alme filing to run for the Senate in March and Daines withdrawing his own candidacy just a few minutes before the state's filing period closed, a move designed to block a well-known Democrat from seeing an opening to run against a non-incumbent. Republicans argue this preserved the seat in a favorable electoral environment, while critics note it circumvented normal primary competition. Trump quickly endorsed Alme, saying he did so "based on Steve's strongest recommendation". Separately, Trump-backed candidate Rep. Randy Feenstra lost the Republican primary for Iowa governor to businessman Zach Lahn, marking the first statewide Trump endorsee to lose a primary in 2026, suggesting limits to his endorsement power outside Senate races.

What to watch: The Iowa general election will test whether economic grievance—particularly tariff effects on farmers—can overcome structural Republican advantages. Montana's race features an unusual three-way dynamic with Bankhead pledging to stay in the race and not clear the path for Bodnar to take on Alme in a head-to-head contest, saying "Not only no, but hell no". Democrats need a net gain of four seats in order to win control of the Senate in 2026, meaning the party has to defend every seat it currently holds, and flip four more on highly competitive and even outright Republican terrain.

◈ Tone Comparison

Left-leaning coverage uses language like "firmly in play" (implying opening/opportunity) and emphasizes personal biography and economic hardship. Right-leaning coverage uses phrases like "radical agenda," "lunatics on the left," and "rubber stamp for Democrats," emphasizing ideological opposition and outside control. Both sides deploy candidate accomplishments and voter concerns, but frame them through opposite partisan lenses.